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User blog:ThatOneGuyInTheBackOfTheRoom/A Proposal Concerning Non-Lore Factions
The Lord of the Rings (LotR) mod is unique in that it has built in multiplayer focus. So while you can take time in the single player mode of Minecraft to travel from the Shire to Mordor, you will encounter the same challenges from the vanilla version. The mod hosts a variety of server features such as a built in Fast Travel (FT) and Alignment system that work in tandem with the massive world of Middle Earth. Naturally servers hosting the mod as the centerpiece, rely on the mod to draw faction lines. The Official Server (TOS) is no different, and is encouraged by the lack of other modifications or plugins to use Tolkien’s lore to identify themselves in groups. In such mod focused situations anything that is not lore is often an interesting choice on behalf of the player and while not unheard of, it is unorthodox in character and sometimes unwelcome in the eyes of others. Yet The Official Server takes an impartial role to the opinion of non-lore in order to allow more freedom on behalf of those who wish to add other fandoms onto the server and add their own sense of taste to the community. I argue that this has detrimental consequences to newcomers of the mod and current players on the server for the following reasons. When an unexperienced player comes online they are, sometimes unwittingly, greeted with the mods alignment system. All are thrown into a barren and destroyed Shire with nothing to start with. Even after they leave the initial starting area of Waymeet and Hobbiton, areas that contain roads and FT points are the equivalent of a nuclear wastelands and contain little food, little ore, and (depending on the biome) minor amounts of wood and crops. This forces many to logically come to this solution; either killing the nearest NPC, mob, or player in hope of loot and edible drops or looting the nearby area thus creating a circle to further the problem. The resulting area (and in Small Biomes such as the Shire and Dol-Goldur) end up decimated and devoid of traders. If they decide to choose the murderous option their resulting alignment is reduced, thus forcing them into certain category unless they choose to correct that alignment. As a result, future factions the player is looking to join see that alignment and single them out in either the “good” or “evil” factions for them to join. All of a sudden since they killed a NPC without knowing the resulting consequences, nor being warned about them, are limited in their possible gameplay of the server. In the future if they removed from their current side they are then shunned by both their initial faction and their allies in addition to the opposing aligned factions due to their past actions. This could lead to them falling thru the social cracks, leaving them with little choice but to leave the server or face the resulting rejection. Should they choose to stay they are again faced with the option of trying to forge their own path by themselves or with other outcasts, with a slim to no chance of being re-accepted by their old faction. I am not saying that the players that are removed from factions are always horrible players, rather they are removed from the central gameplay of the rest of the server, against their own volition. After this point, the only way for them to legitimize themselves on the server is to then create a faction which is often non-lore based by relying on individual networks already made while they were in a faction to be involved in the community. Intense PvP, and the failure to follow the appointed combat rules, also follows usually being started by the rejected player against his/her former faction. This often occurs on already built upon or faction claimed lands, which creates long term chaos and strife for everyone involved. The limited options of what to do when you join the TOS also have this drastic response to some new and often unexperienced players. Many examples have come and gone on the TOS where new players are introduced to the mod and the faction dynamic on the server and are either rejected by it or are repulsed by the system. Thus, they take to attacking players of any faction they choose which in-turn making enemies of those factions and their allies. In addition, some of those examples do not give yield to the PvP rules of the server much less reading them, assuming it is like others and are quickly banned for their actions. Even though the player chose to violently lash out at the political system in place rather than doing so peacefully, I would argue we as a community indirectly forced them into the position of choosing to either join a lore faction or leave. Thus another non-lore faction is created as a third rebellious option, however now they have made enemies and are at risk of being punished for it or at the very best becoming heavily controversial to everyone involved. Yet others choose the peaceful rebellion to the faction system and simple venture out into the world alone. Many a player has first logged into the server, in hopes of rather than joining an established faction, seeking to lead a faction and rule a Kingdom like the others. This is noble, but due to the already established lore factions and Middle Earth being claimed by them, there is no space to feasibly do this without creating a unique instance of players being hunted down by the original faction for the sole reason of wanting to have power of a slice of another’s land. Again they fall thru the social cracks similar to those who were thrown out of a faction, as the realization of the dynamic of the server sets in and they attempt to make their own faction with similar failing results. The TOS is a proud server and has lasted very long with the current faction system in place, bolstered by tradition and the rules that allow it to exist. The rules say that factions are optional, but established members know that it is mandatory that you be a part of one if you wish to join the community as a non-toxic member. My argument is not that this is a bad system, rather that we as players do not make it known that this is what we have and going against the norm has consequences. The members that do let the unexperienced players know what the deal is are shown firsthand the questions like “Can I lead my own faction?”, “Can I just live by myself?”, and “Can we just team up instead?”. To this end, I propose two solutions that together can prevent respectable players from being shunned out of the community. First, eliminate continuation of non-lore factions which often serve as an excuse for surviving on a server where they will be most likely unwelcome. By doing this, players will not be forced into the unpalatable option of creating a random faction to stay alive and thus creating a problem for established lore factions and themselves. Instead they are then forced to create a lore based faction and adding to the realism of the server, joining another faction and therein by giving them a second chance to be an accepted member of the community, or take the less obvious yet easiest option of leaving the server all together. For those who are leaving a faction, this also forces them to receive an informal recommendation of sorts from their former faction therein by legitimizing them, which is currently already common place for the rare folk who wish to leave a faction peacefully. If they have been kicked from a faction by its rulers as opposed to the players own wishes this shoves them out of the server entirely so they do not have to suffer any kind of bullying, unwanted PvP, or general disdain from the TOS community despite being branded. Factions can and should be still created so long as they already have some mention in Tolkien’s universe. Secondly, inform players of the faction and alignment situation once the come online to the server, as opposed to letting them get thrown into the community and left to fend for themselves. If established players let unexperienced newcomers to the server know what system we have on the TOS, this could help prevent many players from getting caught in the alignment web mentioned before and will aid in them joining an established faction on whichever side they wish to join thus forcing them not to ask the question “To Kill a Hobbit or Not to Kill a Hobbit”. This could be done via handed out books, a singular build at spawn (perhaps a hobbit bar to keep simplicity), or perhaps a pop-quiz for players when joining the server to weed out those unwilling to read. While these suggestions will probably not solve the issue entirely it might catch many people from falling thru any social cracks they might slip into and ensure that the TOS avoids toxic players and unnecessary hatred amongst itself. Post below any suggestions that you have concerning this problem and if you think is a feasible modification that should be made to the TOS rules. Category:Blog posts